US Faces Skepticism Over Deterring China as Trump Eyes Greenland

As President Donald Trump threatens to seize Greenland, tensions over whether his actions would undermine efforts to deter China in the Indo-Pacific were laid bare at a major security forum in Hawaii this week.

At the Honolulu Defense Forum, many current and former US government and military officials made the argument that steps taken by Washington to counter Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere, including the removal of Venezuela’s president, would weaken Beijing’s global reach and help Washington project power with its allies in the East.